Penguins general manager Ray Shero's bold season was rewarded Friday.Shero was named NHL General Manager of the Year in a ceremony in Chicago. Two of his players — center Sidney Crosby and defenseman Kris Letang — have been nominated for awards that will be revealed later this weekend.Shero stunned the hockey world this spring with the additions of four players, two of whom were extremely coveted. He landed future Hockey Hall-of-Famer Jarome Iginla, Brenden Morrow, Douglas Murray and Jussi Jokinen before the NHL trading deadline.“It's a great honor,” Shero told the NHL Network. “It means a lot. I think it's a reflection of our organization.”The other nominees were Anaheim general manager Bob Murray and Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin.Although the moves weren't enough to lift the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Final, they did help secure the Atlantic Division championship and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.Those four bold moves weren't the only ones that helped the Penguins to a successful season.Last June, Shero possessed little leverage when it became apparent that former Penguins center Jordan Staal was intent on playing with his brother in Carolina.Instead of letting Staal play out his contract and become a free agent in the summer of 2013, Shero traded him during the first round of the NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh. The return Shero received that night — the eighth overall pick in the 2012 draft, which was used on defenseman Derrick Pouliot, defenseman Brian Dumoulin and center Brandon Sutter — was roundly praised.